The St. Johns herald., 1887-03-17
NUMBER l4

in spite of the most stringent quar-
 antine, has been repeatedly brought
 here from that pest-hOuse of bovine
 diseases, the old world. These facts,
 vouched for by so eminent an au-
 thority as Dr. Wray, are conclu-
 sive answer to the spacious argu-
 ment of those who oppose the pro-
 hibition of cattle from foreign countries, which are annually in- troducing into the United States cattle infected with pleuro-pneu-
 monia and other contagious dis eases.
 When a man wishes to empty a barrel, he not only opens the spigot but he turns off the stream which is running into the bung-hole. So it is with contagious bovine dis cases We must not only stamp out the centres of infection in the Uni ted States, but must stop all impor- tatiOns from foreign countries in- fected with the disease. We quar- antine one section of our country against another, as an act of neces- sity, in controlling contagious dis eases. How, foolish then, to per init importations from abroad, es- pecially from Great Britain, where pleuro-pneumonia is known to ex- ist in its most malignant form.
 The following are the extracts from Dr. Wray's letter above re- ferred to above.
 "Pleuro-pneumonia is a highly contagious lung fever, limited strict ly to the bovine race. It has but one cause, centagion from cattle sick with the disease, or pastures, stables, cars, or other places and things infected by such sick cattle. As with smallpox, measles, cholera and other human plaques, nothing Is known in regard to the origin of dleuro-pneumonia.
 'An outbreak occurred in Hol- land in 1882, and from thence the disease was introduced into Ireland in 1889, to England in 1S42, and from these countries it has been carried to nearly every part of the old world. It has been entirely stamped out by government aid in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and some other European countries, but in England where less radical were adopted, it is esti- mated to have cost an annual loss of ten million dollars since its in- troduction there, and the experience in Australia, France and Germany, has been equally severe.
 Ut was brought to this country first in 1843, and fresh importations have taken place from time to time, but as the current of trade until lately has always been toward New York and the east, it never west of the Alleghenies until about three years ago when a herd in Troy, Ohio, was infected by COW brought from Baltimore Cattle from this herd were put in a large sale at Virginia City, Illinois, in April 1884, and from this place the disease was carried to various parts of Illinois, to Galloway coun- ty, Missouri, and to Harrison coun- ty, Kentucky.
 'It is little affected by season or attacks all kinds and grades of cattle. Shorthorns, Jer- seys and scrubs with equal viru- lence, and in fatality is only equal ed by the Russian rinderpest.
 The extirpation is no doubt a problem to be dealt with by Con- yress. It is estimated that one million dollars would stamp it out of the United States now, but no man can estimate what it will cost in a few years, when the cattle on western plains, and the stock pens and cars of the country have be- come infected.
 If the annual loss in England is ten million dollars with six million cattle, it is difficult to conceive what ours would be with forty mill